New growth for the Adirondack Cuisine Trails

LEWIS | The Adirondack Cuisine Trails are growing, with new locations and amplified marketing and promotions this summer as Adirondack Harvest takes the helm. The updated interactive trail maps can be found online at adirondackharvest.com/trails. The Adirondack Cuisine Trails were established in 2018 by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Since then, extensive work has been done to plan for and establish the trails by the Adirondack Cuisine Trail Network- a non-profit led by local-food partners created to administer the six trails across Essex, Clinton, and Franklin Counties. In 2021, the Adirondack Cuisine Trail Association selected Adirondack Harvest, the leading local food brand and cooperative agricultural promotion organization, to market the cuisine trails. The trails now have a stronger focus on locally grown food and products, with a new requirement for businesses to serve at least five local products regularly, and for farm businesses to primarily produce what they sell. New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, "I was so pleased to help launch the Adirondack Cuisine Trails several years ago, in coordination with Cornell Cooperative Extension and all the fantastic farms and food and beverage businesses that are located along the trail route. The North Country has incredibly diverse farms—from dairy to apples to craft beverages and everything in between. By expanding the trails and increasing promotion of the trails, including through the new interactive map, our farms can reach even more visitors, providing a boost to both the agricultural and tourism industries in the region." The trails highlight local businesses and farms that are open to the public and well-suited for visitors. The refreshed Adirondack Cuisine Trails guide visitors through different Adirondack communities. The trails offer an alternative recreation option and a chance to experience the unique agricultural offerings of the area to the millions of tourists, seasonal, and local residents who spend time in the Adirondack Park each year. Many of the stops on the trails are accessible to travelers of diverse needs and interests. Assemblyman Billy Jones said, "I commend Adirondack Harvest and the Adirondack Cuisine Trail Association for all their hard work to maintain and update the Adirondack Cuisine Trails. These six trails spotlight one of the best things the North Country has to offer- locally grown farm products and goods. It is hard to find the kinds of small family farms that are throughout the Adirondack region anywhere else in the country and creating these user-friendly trails to help promote these farms will not only enhance tourist experiences but will help local residents connect with local farmers and small businesses as well. It's important to shop local and as a former dairy farmer, I appreciate how these trails promote more sustainable practices." Ashlee Kleinhammer, Co-Owner of North Country Creamery and Clover Mead Farmstore, and a member of the Boquet Valley Cuisine Trail says that she is excited for the new growth of the trails to complement the existing collaboration between farmers and small business owners in the area. "We are excited about this new growth for the Adirondack Cuisine Trails. Having a map that outlines local farms and small businesses that grow, make or sell local food and products is an important part of spreading awareness of the area's unique agricultural scene. We would love to see more traffic at our on-farm store, and we hope that the trails will bring some new faces to our farm and neighboring businesses too," said Kleinhammer. The new progress in promoting and modernizing the trails could not be possible without the hard work of trail advocates over the past decade. Special thanks to Shannon Oborne, formerly of Paul Smith's College, Lindsey Pashow of Harvest NY, Alyssa Senecal from the North Country Chamber of Commerce, and all of the farmers, small business owners, and other community members who have helped create the trails. Adirondack Harvest continues to work with agritourism professionals in Vermont, Quebec, and Ontario to create the world's longest and first international cuisine trail. David Gillespie, the main organizer of this effort, will be giving a presentation on this regional collaboration at the International Workshop on Agritourism in Burlington, Vt. from Wednesday, Aug. 3 through Thursday, Sept. 1. An Open Farm Weekend event is also planned for Friday, Sept. 2-5 to highlight the Boquet Valley Cuisine Trail. Trail members will host tours, workshops, and special events through Labor Day weekend. You can find the online trails directory at adirondackharvest.com/trails.

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New growth for the Adirondack Cuisine Trails

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